Spring-wheel.



PATENTED JULY 2; 1907.

E. L. MORGAN.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLIoATIoN FILEnNov. ze, 1906.

' NITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

EARL L. MORGAN, oF sfr. LoU1sMIssoUnI. l

SPRING-WHEEL` Specification of Letters Patent..

Patented July 2, 1907.

v lApplication filed November 26, 1906. Serial No. 345,111.

lTo all whom 'it may concern:

movement, and the object of my inventionis to provide a ksimple and 'durable construction of spring tire of this type which will be composed of comparatively lfew and simple parts thatmay readily be assembled.

W ith this and other objects in view as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain'constructions andar-rangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Fora full understanding `of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spring Wheel embodying the improvements of my invention; Figs. 2

' and 3 are transverse sectional views of the wheel rim taken along different lines. Fig. 4 isa longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the rim.l y

-.Corresponding and like parts are referred to in th'e following description and indicated in all the views .of thepdrawings by the same reference characters.

Referring `to the drawings, the numeral] designates the felly of a wheel, said elly being preferably'slightly dished in cross section and being adapted to receive the inner section of my improvedspring tire.

' My tire comprises an inner section 2 which is U- shaped in cross section as shown with its twol edges facing outwardly, and a complemental U-shaped outer part 3, the side members of which embrace and are adaptedV to slide radially upon theside members of the inner section 2. The outerlsections 3 may be` made -in separable parts connected together' in any suitable manner when they are placed around the inner section,` side 'clamping plates and bolts 4 being shown in the present instance for this purpose, The

outer section 3 is adapted to have secured to it a solid rubber cushion 5 which fornisthe tread of the wheel, this cushionlbeingprovided so as .to render the tread noiseless, becausel depend upon the springs between the two-sections of the tire forv the resiliency thereof.

Mountedgwithinthe inner section 2-is a semicircular seriesoftrapezoidal blocks 6,l the bases of which lie against the innermost wall offsaid section and the side edges of which ,convergeor taper outwardly as indiat -7', towards the fiat outer-face'S'. These blocks y 6 are preferably secured to thc inner section 2 by moans of bolts, the shanks 9 of which are preferably integral with the blocks and cxtcnd through thc inner side of the section 2 and also through the felly 1 and are pro- -60 vided on their inwardly projecting ends with crescent shaped clamps 10 which lit snugly around the inner side or face of the folly and are held on the shanks and against the face of the felly by means .of nuts screwed on the shanks of the bolts as shown.

most tire section 2, but the llatter in turn is connected rigidly to the felly of the wheel. 11 designates blocks of another circular seri-es. these latter being arranged Within the outer section' 3 of the tire and alternating 7 0- with the blocks 6, as shown. The blocks 11. correspond 'substantially inyshape to the blocks G, having inwardly converging side edges 12 and flat inner faces 13, the' complemcntal beveled or inclined faces l2 and 7 of the respective inner and outer blocks being substantially parallel as shown. Between everyl two adjacent blocks is Inoiinted a coil spring 14, the ends of which bear against the complelnental inclined edges 12 and 7 of the respective blocks and which are secured to the respective blocks in the present instance by having their inwardly projecting ends screwed in the inner blocks, while their opposite ends project through the outer blocks and are secured therein by means of countersunk nuts, as illustrated in the drawings. By

Athis arrangement, it will be seen that there is provided 'for the two sections of the tire, a series vof inclined springs in which one spring extends first in onedirection obliquely and the next spring in an opposite direction obliquely. Between the inclined springs are other helical or coil springs 15 whichv proj ect radially 90 as shown, and one end of each of these springs 15 is 'screwed into one face of a block 11 or (3, while the opposite end of each spring 15 is provided with a disk 1li which fits Within a groove 22 in the wall of the respective rim sections, but is not secured to the sections except by rictional contact, `Hence-each one of the ysprings 15 may slip along the inner scction at its inner end when they are at the iront and rear of the wheel as thel same is turning, so as to interfere in no wise with the proper circunifcrcnti-.il resiliency of the springs 14 at such points, while whenever thc springs 15 are at the top or` bottomof thc wheel, they will producel the necessary resiliency by a dircct thrust of the tire, with respectto the inner section. `The outer scrics of blocks l1 are preferably secured r-igidly in place by means of 105 short bolts, the shanks 17 of which are preferably integral with said blocks and project through vthe outer v wall of the outer section 3, being lsecured in place by means of nuts as shown.

.g From the foregoing description in connection withv i the accompanying drawing, it is obvious that thev outer-section 3 of the tire will have resiliency along a By this ni'eans, 65 not only are the blocks 6 secured rigidly to the innerradialline, as Well as circumferential, by means of the l two sets of springs, the radial set l5 'permitting the radial yielding movement, and the oppositely inclined series of* springs le which alternates with the springs l5 permitting the other yielding movement.

As shown -in the drawing, the outer U-shaped sectionl .3 has doubled spaced apart sideiiwalls which receive between thernthe complemental side walls of the inner section 2, this construction readilyr permitting of the sliding movement of .one section with respect 'to thfe other, but at the same time affording astrong-and Adurable structure.

' clined iirst in one directionv and the next adjacent in the opposite direction, and a second 'series of'coii springs intel-posed between the blocks of the outer series and the inner -section of the tire. .i

2. A wheel tire, comprising inner and outer rims, a series of bearing blocks secured within the inner rim, another series of bearing blocks securedwithin the outer` rim. and alternating with the blocks of the inner series, the said blocks having oppositely facing'inclined edges, coil springs interposed between and secured to the lblocks at the oppositely inclined edges thereof and producing a semicircuiai sries of springs of which a spring is in cliued first in one direction and the next adjacent in the opposite dl'rec't'ion, and a second series of coll springs iuterposed between the blocks of the outer series and the inner section of the tire, 'the last named springs being secured to the blocks of the outer series and being free to slide circumferentially, with frictionai engagement, against the inner Wallof the inner section of the tire.

3 A tire, comprising an inner II-shaped section and an on'tier 'II-shaped section, the two sections being mounted to slide one upon the other, a series of trapczoidal blocks secured 'withinh the inner section, a series of oppositcly disposed blocks of corresponding form secured within the outer section, the blocks of one series alternating with .the blocks -of the other series in a :staggeredarrangement,

springs secured between the inclined faces of the blocks of the two series, and other springs interposed between the blocks and extending radially in opposite directions toward the inner and outer sections, respectively.

'4.A tire, 'comprising anA inner and an outer section, bearing blocks 'mounted within 'the inner section and provided with bolts extending through the inner` rini and.

`of vtwo witnesses.

EARL L. MORGAN. lr.. sf] Witnesses:

Lno F. Minas,

'THOMAS W. BAnnoN.l 

